Finding Compassion in China: A Bicycle Journey into the Countryside

By the time Tim and Cindie entered China, they had been traveling the globe by bicycle for three years. Cindie was ready to explore China’s interior, but what she wasn’t prepared for was the intense isolation that comes with not speaking the language, the scheming tactics of the Chinese government and the unexpected outpouring of kindness from the locals. More

By the time Tim and Cindie entered China, they had been traveling the globe by bicycle for three years. Cindie was ready to explore China’s interior, but what she wasn’t prepared for was the intense isolation that comes with not speaking the language, the scheming tactics of the Chinese government and the unexpected outpouring of kindness from the locals.

Along the way the duo was arrested by the Chinese government, turned away from the only hotel in Siziwang Qui, thrown out of Internet cafes and called late at night by prostitutes. Yet whenever they needed food, shelter, or directions, the local people were there and willing to help—even if that “help” was scary at times.

What started out as a typical American lifestyle evolved into something quite different. Cindie Cohagan received her Bachelor of Science in Geology and proceeded to practice geology in the form of water exploration and environmental cleanup for 15 years. When most people were settling into a career Cindie followed (literally) her then husband Tim Travis around the world on a bicycle. Nine years later she was ready to stop traveling and see what connections to humanity she could make after being detached for so long. She landed in Dharamsala, India, home of the Dalai Lama and began to study Buddhist philosophy, the beginning of the third chapter in her life. Where this will take her in the future, only time will tell.